The Masking Game: A Psychological Thriller About Autism, Justice, and Misread Truths
Paperback
Series: Neurodiverse Psychological Thriller, Book 7
Mystery & ThrillerLiterary Fiction
Publisher: A B Tewary Mystery Press
Published: Jan 11 2026
Pages: 194
Weight: 0.51
Height: 0.45 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
A jury consultant who's built her career reading people hides a devastating secret: she's autistic. When she's hired to convict a man she knows is innocent-because she recognizes he's autistic too-she must choose between her reputation and justice in this gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist.
Dr. Catherine Cat Brennan is a master of deception. For twenty-five years, this brilliant jury consultant has predicted verdicts with uncanny accuracy, reading micro-expressions and body language that others miss. Law firms pay her a fortune to profile jurors, analyze witnesses, and guarantee courtroom victories. But Cat's gift isn't intuition-it's survival. Diagnosed autistic at forty-two after decades of masking, she's spent her entire life memorizing human behavior like a foreign language, building algorithms where others rely on instinct. Her success is built on a lie: that she possesses natural empathy instead of exhaustive pattern recognition. When she's hired for the murder trial of the decade, everything she's hidden is about to unravel. Daniel Graves stands accused of killing his business partner in a meticulously planned crime, and the prosecution's case is devastating. He avoids eye contact. His emotional responses seem rehearsed. He answers questions with evasive literalism. To detectives and prosecutors, he's a calculating psychopath mimicking innocence. But Cat sees what they can't: Daniel is autistic, undiagnosed and unaware, and every behavior cited as evidence of guilt is actually an autistic trait being catastrophically misinterpreted. She's certain he's innocent. She's contracted to help convict him. And if she reveals how she knows, her career ends.
Trapped between professional survival and moral crisis, Cat begins a dangerous investigation that uncovers the real killer-someone who weaponized autistic communication patterns to frame the perfect suspect. The evidence is damning: a threatening note that was actually about ending a business partnership, interpreted literally rather than violently. Security footage the police overlooked. A brother with gambling debts and a life insurance motive who knew exactly how Daniel's social difficulties would make him look guilty. As Cat races to expose the truth, she faces an impossible choice: testify for the defense, reveal her own diagnosis, and watch her reputation destroyed-or stay silent while an innocent autistic man goes to prison for life. This legal thriller delivers courtroom drama with devastating emotional stakes, exploring how autistic adults navigate a neurotypical world that mistakes their differences for deception. When Cat finally takes the stand and unmasks publicly for the first time, her testimony becomes a masterclass in psychological suspense and a searing indictment of a justice system that confuses neurodivergence with guilt.
What readers are saying: ★★★★★ Absolutely unputdownable-a mystery thriller that's also the most authentic representation of autism I've ever read. The courtroom scenes had me holding my breath. ★★★★★ This psychological suspense novel deserves every award. Cat's journey from hiding to advocacy is powerful beyond words. ★★★★★ A crime thriller with a conscience. The twist isn't just shocking-it's a revelation about how we judge people who think differently. ★★★★★ Part legal drama, part character study, completely brilliant. I've never read anything that captures masking this perfectly.
Perfect for fans of courtroom thrillers, psychological mysteries with neurodivergent protagonists, and suspenseful legal dramas that explore justice, identity, and the masks we wear to survive.
This is a standalone novel in Neurodiverse Psychological Thriller series. Each book can be read independently.
Also from
Tewary, A. B.
The Routine Break: A Psychological Thriller of Workplace Manipulation and Truth
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Last Human Record: A Literary Techno-Thriller About AI Governance and the Fragility of Human Identity
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Silence Protocol: An AI Techno-Thriller Where Intelligence Refuses to Obey
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
Sensory Breach: A Psychological Tech Thriller About Sensory Warfare and Survival
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Rothko Protocol: A Psychological Art Crime Thriller About Forgery, Power, and Perception
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Silent Portrait: A Gripping Psychological Thriller of Marriage, Murder, and Deadly Silence
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Anniversary Gift: A Psychological Thriller About Marriage, Secrets, and the Cost of Being Seen
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Glass Apostle: An AI Psychological Thriller About Neural Control, Lost Memories, and Human Freedom
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
Special Interest Killer: A Novel of Ritual and Obsession - A Psychological Thriller of Ritual, Loss, and Reckoning
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Guilt Architect: A Psychological Legal Thriller About Engineered Shame and the Law's Blind Spots
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Good Witness: A Psychological Legal Thriller About Witness Manipulation and Moral Pressure
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Glass House: A Psychological Thriller About Gaslighting, Inheritance, and the Architecture of Control
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Vanishing Proof: A Psychological Thriller of AI, Murder, and Manufactured Evidence
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
Eclipse Of Truth: A Psychological Thriller of Murder, Manipulation, and the Mind That Cannot Trust Itself
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
Silent Vows: A Psychological Thriller of Marriage, Lies, and a Secret That Won't Stay Buried
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Keeper's Glass: A Psychological Thriller of Fear, Gaslighting, and Lies Behind a Perfect Marriage
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Sister's Shadow: A Psychological Thriller About Gaslighting and Stolen Identities
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Mother We Forgot: A Psychological Thriller of Forgotten Women, Stolen Memories, and Redemption
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Wrong Sister: An Unputdownable Psychological Thriller with a Shocking Identity Twist
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Last Guest: You Were Invited for a Reason-A Psychological Thriller About the Things We Refuse to Remember
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Mirror Tenant: A Psychological Thriller About Identity, AI Surveillance, and a Marriage That Was Never Real
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Glass Annex: A Gripping Psychological Techno-Thriller of Stolen Identity and AI Obsession
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Jury Farmer: A Legal Thriller of Corruption, Jury Tampering, and Relentless Justice
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Founder's Son: A Psychological Suspense Novel of Mind Control, Forgotten Secrets, and Deadly Betrayal
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Replacement Script: A Psychological Thriller of Identity, Control, and Manufactured Reality
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Deliberation Room: A Legal Thriller of Grand Jury Secrets and Judicial Conspiracy
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Perfect Jury: A Legal Thriller Featuring Jury Manipulation and Courtroom Suspense
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Velvet Lock: A Twisted Locked-In Murder Mystery and Psychological Thriller
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Verdict Of The System: A Legal Thriller of Corruption, Conspiracy, and Redemption
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Echo Chamber: A Deep-Tech Psychological Thriller of AI Identity Theft and Digital Survival
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Master of Echoes: A Psychological Thriller about Obsession, Erasure, and One Woman's Fight to Be Heard
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Blood Quill: An Addictive Mystery Thriller of Forgery, Murder, and Revenge
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Last Appeal: A Legal Thriller of Wrongful Conviction, Hidden Evidence, and a Race Against Execution
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Last Reader: A Psychological Thriller of a Living Book That Predicts Her Death and Gaslights Her Into Madness
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Invisible Quill: A Gothic Oxford Psychological Thriller of Vanishing Ink and a Killer Who Rewrites Reality
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Thirteenth Juror: A Legal Thriller of Jury Manipulation and Hidden Justice
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
Last Rites: A Legal Thriller of Corruption, Conscience, and the Final Verdict
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
Dissociation Day: A Psychological Thriller of Mind Control, Family Secrets, and Survival
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Sleepwalker's Gospel: A Psychological Thriller of Memory, Mind Control, and Family Secrets
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
Beneath the Verdict: A Psychological Courtroom Thriller of Hidden Conspiracies and Unreliable Witnesses
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Veracity Protocol: A High-Tech Thriller About AI, Surveillance, and Manufactured Reality
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Numbers Don't Lie: A Financial Conspiracy Thriller About Power, Profit, and Control
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Burden of Proof: A Psychological Thriller About Guilt, Memory, and the Lie of Certainty
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
Zero Day Widow: A Gripping Psychological Thriller Where Your Future is Already Calculated
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Forensic Echo: A Techno-Psychological Thriller of Deepfakes, Digital Conspiracies, and the Stolen Identity
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Silent Revision: A Gripping Psychological Thriller of Secrets, Lies, and Auditory Control
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Witness Program: A Psychological Thriller of Witness Protection, Memory, and Government Secrets
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Lock and Key Investigation: A Psychological Thriller Where Memory Is the Crime Scene
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Mercy Algorithm: A Medical Thriller of Big Pharma, Bioethics, and a Hospital Conspiracy
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The cartographer's daughter: A Psychological Thriller of Patterns, Obsession, and Framed Truths
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Arrangement: A Gripping Psychological Thriller of Marriage, Manipulation and Betrayal
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
Verdict: A Psychological Legal Thriller About Guilt, Law, and the Verdict That Divided a Courtroom
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
The Silent Witness: Lividity and Lies - clinical, signals the forensic catalyst
Tewary, A. B.
Paperback
Also in
Mystery & Thriller
The Underworld U.S.A. Trilogy, Volume I: American Tabloid, the Cold Six Thousand; Introduction by Thomas Mallon
Ellroy, James
Hardcover
Coffin Road: An Utterly Gripping Crime Thriller from the Author of the China Thrillers
May, Peter
Paperback
Sabine's Notebook: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues
Bantock, Nick
Hardcover
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Movie Tie-In Edition): Book 1 of the Millennium Trilogy
Larsson, Stieg
Paperback
The Golden Mean: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Concludes
Bantock, Nick
Hardcover
Big Little Truths: Reese's Book Club: A Novel: The Sequel to Big Little Lies
Moriarty, Liane
Hardcover
The Pirate Queen: A Novel from the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Frozen River
Lawhon, Ariel
Hardcover
